A substance to be protected, such as an enzyme, has been used and studied in a wide variety of areas including detergents, textile industry, glycation industry, pharmaceuticals, agricultural chemicals, brewing, cosmetic products and the like. However, a problem of the enzyme is that the enzyme readily induces deactivation. Thus, when treating the enzymes in the lab, they should be stored in the form of a powder or a concentrated aqueous solution at −20° C. or for long-term storage, stored at low temperature of −80° C. It is also necessary to determine their activity before use.
On the other hand, outside the laboratory (for example, at the distribution level or in the home), the enzymes are stored typically at ambient temperature and impossible to determine their activity. In order to effectively use the enzymes outside the laboratory, they need to be formed in the form of a less-scattering granule or in a liquid form usable when used so that they can be stored even at ambient temperature.
To allow the enzymes to be treated in a liquid state, using an emulsion can be considered. To inhibit enzymatic deactivation caused by surfactant used in the emulsion, in a conventional household detergent and the like, measures have been taken, such as the addition of an enzyme stabilizing agent, or adsorptive immobilization of the enzymes or encapsulation of them in a protective capsule (for example, Patent Document 1). However, even so, the enzymes allow enzyme activity thereof to be still decreased significantly when in use.
The enzyme material, a dye and the like which may involve the decreased function, such as color degradation, due to outside stimuli, such as light and the like, are in common in that they have to be protected from the outside stimuli while kept in a liquid state.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Translation of PCT International Publication, Publication No. 2009-532566